Blackland Brotherhood (BB)

Today was my second day shaving with the Blackbird and it was a shave of contrasts. I loaded up with a 7 O'Clock Yellow and was pleasantly surprised.

The Yellows are something of a marmite blade for me - I struggle with them in most razors and often find them to be a bit harsh. I've only found one razor that will tame them and that is a Wolfman OC and it made them seem buttery smooth. I'm pleased to say that I've now found a second razor that has tamed a 7 O'Clock Yellow. I had a really nice and mellow time shaving my face with this combination.

The contrast came when I used the Blackbird to head shave with. I found it much more difficult to find the right angle consistently. It took a lot more work, but we got there in the end.

My conclusions so far are:

1) This is a seriously smooth but very efficient razor. It terms of smoothness it shaves more like a slant than a typical DE and feels closer to an ATT H1 than an R1 in terms of efficiency.
2) The only time you will feel the sharp edges of the baseplate are when you have got the angle wrong. I noticed this a few times when shaving my head this evening and I don't think that this is an element of the design that should change. It serves to give useful feedback as to when the angle isn't right and forces you to get the right angle (it's much like an SE in this respect).
3) This is not going to replace the other razors I use to shave my head with (i.e. Slants, SE's and Carts). It has a very narrow sweet spot and when you get it right this razor really sings. When you don't get it right it tells you. Unlike many other razors though, the feedback it gives (in my limited experience with it) does not result in any nicks or weepers when you do get it wrong. In this way, it's sharp, smooth and forgiving and is an excellent face shaving razor.
4) A serious amount of thought has gone into the design of this razor. It has really made me consider my technique and how important getting the right angle is to enable any razor to work efficiently. Usually I would say that a razor like this definitely not a razor for beginners, however I think that this razor would be a worthwhile investment for somebody new to the world of DE & SE shaving precisely because it's a razor that demands good technique and is one that beginners can grow into over time.

It's a definite thumbs up from!!!

It's time to load up with a Feather tomorrow methinks.

 

I was thinking something similar, very well stated.

 

Love my Blackbird!

 

Shaves 3 and 4 under my belt yesterday evening and today.

Yesterday I used one of the supplied Personna blades and had my roughest shave yet. I've never been a fan of Personna's (other than the Med Prep) and this just helped reinforce the reason as to why.

Today I used a Feather and managed a BBS 3-pass shave. I usually only ever do 2 passes and only ever to 3 with a really mild razor like a Sticky.

3 passes with a Feather is unheard of for me and to do so without any nicks or irritation is nothing short of amazing.

That shows how good this razor actually is.

 

You guys with your Feather blades are making me want to revisit them. Guess I know what I'm using later today.

 

I shaved with it again today this time with a Gillette Platinum blade. Much smoother shave. Also using a better angle. Still this razor feels like my 2013 R41. Lots of blade on the face. I used a Feather blade in it Saturday and my neck was on fire all day. No more Feathers in this razor for me....lol.

 

Ouch. I never do ATG for the same reason. It doesn't matter what razor or blade. Even a Tech ATG just messes me up.

 

Second shave with a Gillette Silver Blue yesterday. 3 days growth gone in 3 passes.

I don't usually have a problem with an ATG pass, but yesterday's shave was WTG, XTG and GTX. Very close smooth shave with no irritation.

I usually leave the blade in my razors. Checked it today and there was rusting on the blade which lead to staining on the razor.

Never had this problem before in any other razors, even the SS ones.

Could it be the GSB?
Anyone else have this problem?

 

Give the razor a quick wipe. Should come right off. In the future I recommend at least unscrewing the handle a couple turns to let some air in to dry the blade. Some folks take the whole thing apart which is even better, but I'm not one of those people.

 

Sorry, Should have said, a quick wipe cleaned it. It's as good as new now.

Just never seen it before.

I'll loosen the head in future.
Taking the blade out every time sounds too much like hard work.

 

#protip

 

Thanks....
What would I do without you guys???

 

In all seriousness I've never had any rusting issues with the head loosened up a bit. I never remove the blade fully between shaves. Any rust is caused by the blade so it's crucial to let it dry out. I've never used GSBs, but I can attest that every blade I've ever used will rust in the right conditions.

 

It may be my imagination, but could the Blackbird help extend blade life because of the design? I just finished shave #10 on a Persona blade and it felt as smooth and sharp as day 1. I've never used a blade beyond a week's worth of shaves or beyond 2 head shaves. The current blade has 7 face shaves and three head shaves on it so far with no signs of being dull at all.

 

Let's see...

I normally bin a blade after 3 shaves. It will be shave no 3 on a GSB tonight.

I'll keep it in there for as long as I can.